Much like her husband, Alice Coltrane experienced extraordinary creative success within the walls of The Home. John and Alice had both always longed to have their own in-house recording studio and decided to make that dream a reality at their Dix Hills home. The couple utilized the spacious basement to build their studio, complete with soundproofing and proper recording equipment. The goal was to give both musicians the ability to express creative freedom within the comfort of their own home while helping to alleviate some stress for the musicians. Instead of having to travel to record at various studios, the couple would be able to continue their jazz career from their home without having to leave their children for extended periods of time. Unfortunately, due to John’s sudden passing in 1967, he would not live to see the finished basement studio, which was not completed until 1968. Alice, now a single mother with small children, sought solace in the basement studio.
Alice was left to not only manage her husbands estate, but his unreleased music as well. Prior to his death, John and his ensemble recorded two never released tracks in late 1966. Those tracks were titled “Manifestation” and “Reverend King.” These songs are particularly special because they are two of the first studio recordings that John and Alice had done together. Inspired by these two tracks, Alice channeled her grief into creative energy in a way that honored the life of her late husband. She chose to include the two songs in her first album produced from her basement studio titled Cosmic Music. On this album, the 1966 studio recordings were accompanied by two of Alice’s original compositions, “Lord Help Me to Be” and “The Sun” which were composed at The Home. Cosmic Music was released under Coltrane Records in 1968 before being re-released with Impulse! Records in 1969.
